# specialize

Pronunciation: US say "SPESH-uh-lyz" /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/; UK

## Verb

1. To concentrate one's study on a particular skill, field, topic, or genre.
   - Simple: To choose one main subject and learn a lot about it.
   - _Graduate students often specialize in a narrow subfield by their second year._
   - _He chose to specialize in marine biology after a summer at the coast._
2. To concentrate one's business on a particular product or service.
   - Simple: To sell or offer mainly one kind of thing instead of many.
   - _The firm specializes in tax law for small businesses._
   - _Garages that specialize in vintage engines are hard to find._
3. To adapt a cell, organ, or organism so that it becomes distinct in form or function.
   - Simple: To shape a cell or body part so it can do one particular job.
   - _Over generations, natural selection specialized the finches' beaks for cracking specific seeds._
   - _Certain hormones specialize stem cells into muscle tissue._
4. To become distinct or separate from what is ordinary or common.
   - Simple: To become different from the usual or common kind.
   - _Cut off on separate islands, the finch populations gradually specialized until each looked unlike its mainland ancestors._
   - _Cells specialize during the early stages of embryonic development._
5. To train someone in a particular specialty or area of expertise.
   - Simple: To train a person to do one special kind of work.
   - _The academy specializes cadets in either aviation or naval operations._
   - _Universities specialize graduate students in increasingly narrow research areas._
6. To be known or notorious for a particular activity, usually an undesirable one.
   - Simple: To be known for doing one thing, often something bad or annoying.
   - _He specializes in showing up uninvited and overstaying his welcome._
   - _Tabloids specialize in turning rumors into headlines._

## Verb

7. To narrow the scope of something, restricting it to a smaller or more specific range. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To make something cover a smaller or more exact area.
   - _The committee specialized the grant program to fund only renewable energy projects._
   - _Engineers specialize the algorithm to handle a single data format._
8. To name or set out something specifically; to specify. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To name or point out something exactly.
   - _The clerk specialized each item on the inventory list._
   - _Could you specialize the terms you object to?_
9. To go into specific details; to enter into particulars. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To talk about something in full, exact detail.

## Origin

Formed from "special" combined with the suffix "-ize."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/specialize (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).